Electrical amusement-reporting apparatus



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M. D. COMPTON. ELECTRICAL AMUSEMENT REPORTING APPARATUS. No. 435,964.Patented Sept. 9. 1890.

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M. D. COMPTON. ELECTRICAL AMUSEMENT REPORTING APPARATUS;

No. 435,964. PeiAzented 9,1890.

11"" Kill I UNITED STATES MELVIN D. COMPTON, O F NEWVARK, NEIV JERSEY.

ELECTRICAL AMUSEMENT-REPORTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,964, datedSeptember 9, 1890.

Application filed June 10, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVIN D. COMPTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricalAmusement-Reporting Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to systems and apparatus for reporting ball gamesor similar sporting events, and its special object is to enable a fullreport of such games to be made in sight of a large number of spectatorsand at the same time to dispense with one or more of the assistants nowrequired in reporting such games. At present it is customary for anoperator to sit in front of an exhibition-board and direct an assistantto apply the necessary cards or perform the necessary operations forindicating what has taken place at a distant field of sport. Imaydispense with the assistant, and in fact may make it unnecessary toemploy any operator at the receiving end of the line, thesendingoperator being able to control all the operation for making therequired indications. In

' general, I may say, that my system is fitted either for reporting atthe opposite end of a ball-field from the grand-stand the game going onbefore the eyes of the spectators or for reporting distant games. Itoften happens that spectators coming in late are unable to ascertain thenumber of innings played, the striker at the bat, the number of ballsand strikes called, and so on. Moreover, it is often difficult for thoseconstantly present to determine whether the umpire has called a strikeor a ball. It is the design of the inventor to place a board at thefarther end of the ground and to have an operator stationed close to theofficial scorer telegraph the balls and the other conditions andoccurrences of the game, so that a record of them can be seen plainly onthe board. In the same way an exhibition-board may be made to show thecondition of a game in a distant city. I accomplish the resultsindicated by arranging upon'the board a series of indications Serial No.354,967. (No model.)

sufficient to give a f nll knowledge of the condition of the game ataglance. I. then control these indications by means of motors, eitherelectric or electrically controlled, which are operated by anexperienced person having the requisite knowledge.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in WhlCllFigure'l is an elevation of a board provided with suitable indicatingdevices. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the key-board controlled by theoperator. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a board adapted to report the homegame and a key-board connected therewith. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation ofthe board shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front elevation ofan electricmotor adapted to do the Work required in my invention, some of the partsbeing cut away for the sake of clearness. Fig. 6 is an end elevation ofthe same, and Figs. 7 and 8 show details.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A is a suitable board provided withguide-pieces a a a a ad for containing slides, on which are printed thenames of the contesting clubs, the names of the umpire or umpires, andthe name of the place where the game is played. These names areunchanged for any given name. At 1) b are shown openings in the boardwith appropriate matter printed opposite some of the openings, such asScore, Inning, Balls, Strikes, and Out. The other openings are inpositions for indicating the fielders or base-runners. Behind theopenings in the board are circular disks B B, on which are numbersarranged in series for giving proper indications. It is these disks thatare controlled by my electric motor for indicating the condition of thegame at any 0 given time. For example, referring to the board in Fig. 1,there is behind the opening 1) near the top a disk having numbersarranged consecutively, and this disk is capable of being moved step bystep, so as to 5 bring successive numbers behind the opening. In thisWay an operator can make known to the spectators what inning is beingplayed. In the same way he can indicate upon the board the number ofballs and strikes and 00 Whether the striker or base-runner is out.Moreover, the number at the lower end of the diamond will indicate whois at the bat, and the same number appearing at successive corners ofthe diamond in response to manipulations of the operator will show themovements of the striker as soon as he becomes a base-runner. At 0 is arectangular opening marked At the bat, the purpose of which will beexplained hereinafter.

At the lower right-hand corner of the board I show a bell for indicatingbase-hits. This bell is cont rolled by a key or push-button O on theoperators key-board 1). (Shown in Fig. 2.) A single stroke of the bell,caused by pushing the button once, indicates a basehit, two strokesindicate a two-base hit, three strokes a three-base hit, and fourstrokes a home-run.

At D, I show the key-board supporting a series of two-point switches,which control a series of electric motors behind the board. Beforeexplaining the operation of these switches it will be necessary todescribe the motor itself by reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8.Referring to those figures, E is the frame of the motor apparatus, and Fis an electro magnet supported within the same. The magnet F is providedwith an armature G, whose lever extends from it at right angles and istraversed at its outer end by a shaft H, pivoted in the frame.

Rigidly connected with the shaft II isa disk I, provided with a rim orflange if, as shown; also, joined to the armature is a spring J, whichsupports a notched barj, the notch of which is angular and passes overthe rim. This construction is clearly shown in Fig. 8. Normally thearmature is away from the magnet-poles, in which case the notchsurrounds the rim, as shown in details in the figure referred to. Then,however, the armature is attracted, it is evident that the arm willcarry the rim and the disk along with it, thereby causing the shaft IIto rotate. On the opposite side of the disk is arranged a similar springand notched bar j, the spring in thisinstance being supported by a partof the frame E. The notched bar j serves as a clutch or holder,preventing the disk from being returned to its original position on theback-stroke of the armature. Behind I the disk I is a smaller disk K ofmetal. On this disk bear from opposite sides two springs 71 it, oneof-which is supported by an insulating post L on the base-plate, and theother of which is supported upon an insulating-block M, also supportedon the base. It will be observed that the disk is cut away at one pointand that insulating material is inserted. The object of this will appearhereinafter.

The armature of the magnet, or rather the armature-lever extendingtherefrom, carries a spring-arm N, on the outer end 'of which is ayoke0. Through this yoke extends a beam or arm 1?, which is secured to acentrally pivoted lever Q. The lever can. be adjusted, as shown, bymeans of a screw R, which is 10 cated behind one end of the lever. Theopposite end of the lever carries a conductingpoint, which normallymakes contact with a spring S, supported upon the block M.

The arrangement of circuits is shown in diagram in Fig. 5. Here a switchT is shown adapted to make contact with either post if or post t.Placing the circuit from the battery we may suppose it to pass first toan insulated post U on the frame E, whence it passes to the magnet, andfrom there to the spring S. Leaving this spring, it normally goes to thelever Q, which is in electrical connection with the frame of theapparatus. By this means it passes to the disk I, which is not insulatedfrom the frame, and from there it goes either by the spring 7L or it tothe switch and battery. Whether it goes by spring h or spring h dependsupon whether the switch-lever is in contact with t or If. If with theformer, then it goes by way of h and the post L. It with the latter,then it takes the other course.

It should be stated that the yoke O carries a little roller 0, whichtravels under the beam P. In traveling to the limit of its motion itgradually presses harder and harder upon the beam, and when the limit isreached it lifts the beam and the lever far enough to break the contactbetween the conducting-point on the lever and the spring S. This beingunderstood, the operation of the apparatus is as follows: The switch-armis turned into contact with one or the other of the posts If and t.\Vhen this happens, a complete electric circuit will be formed over oneor the other of the courses described. The result will be that theelectro-magnet will be energized, its armature will be attracted, thedisk I will be partially rotated, carrying the disk K with it, and thearm N will be swung, breaking the circuit when it reaches the limit ofits stroke. Owing to the rupture of the circuit in this way the armaturewill vibrate back and forth, as in the ordinary vibrating bell, and themotion will continue until the insulating part of the disk I is broughtunder the particular spring which happens to be in circuit. The rotationwill then cease and will not be resumed until the circuit is closed overthe second course described by turning the switch-arm to the oppositepost. It is thus evident that the disk I is caused to rotate ahalf-revolution every time the magnet-circuit is closed, but that inorder to operate it it is necessary to move the switch to the properpoint. Of course the disks might be pro vided with four or moreinsulating-points, so as to cause the motor to stop after each quarteror other fractional part of a revolution.

In Fig. 4 I show a series of motors similar to the one described andeach adapted to operate a separate disk B through the medium of suitablegear-wheels W and pinions 'u). The gearing is so proportioned thatahalf-rotation of the motor apparatus will cause the disk to be moved onestep forward or far enou h to bring a new number (the next succeedingone) behind the opening. The two motors behind the openings where thescore is indicated are for operating two disks in case more than nineruns are scored. At X, I show a motor connected with a series ofcompound levers, the object of which is to enable different colors, asred and blue, to be displayed behind the openings for indicating thefielders. Thus in a game between the New Yorks and Bostons the color redmight be used to indicate the New York players and the color blue toindicate the Boston players. The segments y in the drawings, Fig. 4, areone-half blue and one-half red and are supplied with appropriate numbersfor indicating the position of the diiferent fielders. When the NewYorks are in the field, the operator turns the proper switch on hiskey-board to throw the red numbers into position where they can be seen.The reverse takes place when Boston goes to field.

It will be understood that each motor is connected up with its properswitch on the key-board by circuits similar to those above set forth,and that an operator by properly manipulating the switches can throw anydesired indication upon the board.

At Z, I show a device for indicating which player is at the bat. Theslats z of the reel Zcontain the names of the diiferent players, and thearrangement being the ordinary beltand-pulley arrangement they can beturned by the thumb-screw I so as to bring any desired name intoposition. I may use a motor for operating the reel in the same way asthe disks. I

Fig. 3 shows an apparatus especially adapted to reporting the home game.The board A is set up atthe rear of the ground, where it can be seen byall of the spectators. The principle, construction, and operation of theparts are substantially the same as those above described.

I have shown and described an electric motor of a particular type fordoing the work required by my invention; but I do not wish to confinemyself. to any special form of motor, as others can be substitutedwithout difficulty. A mechanical motor, for example, Whose step-by-stepmovement is controlled electrically, would do as well, or, in fact, anypreferred form of motor in which either the motive or the controllingpower is electrical.

Having now described my invention, I claim- In a system for reportingball games and similar sporting events, an exhibition-board havingopenings behind which are rotating number-disks, the said disks beinggeared to electric motors, each of said motors having two circuits whichrun, respectively, through one or the other of two springs bearing on adisk which is insulated at one or more points on its periphery, wherebythe motor is adapted to make a part rotation only on the completion ofone of its circuits, as set forth.-

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 29th day of May, A. D. 1890..

MELVIN D. COMPTON.

Witnesses:

G. 1-1. STOCKBRIDGE, D. E. HERVEY.

